The Chinese railway port of Khorgos, located in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, continues to strengthen its position as one of the largest logistics hubs on the China-Europe route. On October 12, the 50-thousandth anniversary freight train departed from Khorgos, bound for the Polish logistics center Malashevice. According to China Central Television (CCTV), the train carries electronics, electrical equipment, agricultural products and consumer goods.
The Khorgos route, opened in 2016, has become an important part of the land transport corridor between China and European countries. Over the past few years, the growth rate of transportation here has been steadily accelerating. If the first 10,000 flights took more than four years, then reaching the mark of 50,000 trains took less than nine years. The last 10,000 flights were completed in less than 13 months, reflecting the rapid growth in cargo traffic and the efficiency of the port infrastructure.
According to CCTV data, more than 1,500 freight trains passed through Khorgos in the first nine months of 2025, which is 20% higher than in the same period last year. The total volume of cargo transported reached 4 million tons, an increase of almost 18%. Today, an average of 27 trains pass through Khorgos daily, and trains traveling in the opposite direction from Europe to China are reloaded at the terminal every two hours.
In May 2025, the innovative project "Smart Railway Port + Accelerated Customs Clearance" was implemented at Khorgos station. Due to digitalization and automation of processes, the time for passing import procedures has been reduced from two to three days to 16 hours, and the processing of export shipments has been reduced from six hours to one. These changes made it possible to speed up the movement of goods and significantly increase the throughput of the node.
Khorgos has become a key element of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative connecting Asian and European markets. According to Chinese analysts, further development of the railway hub will increase freight traffic by another 25% by 2026, especially against the backdrop of growing trade with Central Asia and the Middle East.
The growth of Khorgos' activity confirms China's strategic role in shaping new transport routes in Eurasia, where the railway is becoming an alternative to sea transportation. For Russian companies, this corridor also opens up additional transit opportunities and participation in international logistics chains.
